Claire and her arrival

So I know I have had my beautiful little lady for 3 weeks, but have not been in a blogging mood, but have decided to blog about the excitement of her arrival.  We were scheduled to be induced on January 28th.  At the time we scheduled this we had no idea that Arkansas would get the worse ice storm in history.  So Tuesday night I called the hospital to make sure I could still come in the following morning to have our little girl.  The nurse said yes, come in, but don't come at 5:00 in the morning.  Come in when you can and drive carefully.  Ok.  I'm there, I would have ice skated to the hospital if that were necessary.  

Tuesday night I did not sleep at all and I got up at 6:00 took a long shower and just sat and waited.  We left the house at about 8:30 and got to the hospital about 9:30 and then got checked in and taken to my delivery room.  At 10:15 Dr. Hannah's partner came in and checked me and I was still only a 2 so the pitocin was started.   By 12:15 the doctor came in and said I was a 3 and he broke my water.  I immediately asked for the epidural and they started paging the anesthesiologist, who was not on sight because she was on call.  That started at 12:15 and at 2:30 she still wasn't there.  After laboring for 2 hours with no pain relief, I thought I might actually die.  I know you people who have had no pain meds when giving birth are thinking I'm a wimp and I will gladly admit I am a wimp.  Through all of this Claire's heart rate kept going hay wire.  Her heart rate would drop really low and they would have to change my position and continue to do this until I was ready to push.  After I got my epidural I went from a 6 to a 10 in about 1 hour.  I pushed for about 20 minutes and she was here.  Our little ice princess!

After she was born we waited to hear the happy sound of crying, but we never did.  Claire never cried after she was born.  Immediately they took her away and tried everything they could to make her cry.  After about 5 minutes I'm crying because she isn't.  The nurses were blocking my view as they tried earnestly to get her to cry.  Even the doctor kept looking back, just waiting for the big wail.  It never came.  I finally asked why she wasn't crying and no one could give me an answer.  Her apgar was 6 and then 9, so there was nothing wrong with her, she just didn't want to cry.  The entire time we were in the hospital and for the first week of her life she never cried.  She is now a very good crier, just ask Kenzie, she hates it when Claire starts crying and screams at me to make her stop.  I just laugh.  We are all doing well and I am trying to adjust to 3 instead of 2.  It has been hard, but enjoyable.  WE are so glad she is here.  She was 8 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long.  At her last Dr.'s appt.  she was 8 lbs 8 oz and almost 22 inches long.  She is growing so fast.  We love having her here.